*Within urban areas, rats derive their life support from waste-management systems and food processing and storage areas. Rats rely predominantly on smell, taste, touch and hearing as opposed to vision. They move around mainly in the dark, using their whiskers and guard hairs on their body to guide them.

*Rats are cautious, and if their food is in an exposed area where it cannot be consumed quickly, they carry or drag it to a hiding place.

*Rats have an excellent sense of taste, enabling them to detect certain compounds, including rat poisons, at extremely low concentrations very quickly.

*Rats are omnivorous, eating nearly any type of food, including dead and dying members of their own species.

*Rats continue to be important food items in many countries, and the large grass-cutter rat is caught and raised for market sale in some African countries-much as rabbits are in American and European markets.

*The word "mouse" can be traced to the Sanskrit word "musha" which is derived from a word "to steal."

*Of all the mouse species that invade human structures, only the house mouse usually becomes a long-term inhabitant if not controlled.

*Some Scientists speculate that mice developed from rats under conditions where it was less important to be large and ferocious than to be able to get into a smaller hole.

*Mice are more acceptable to humans than rats, possibly because of what is known as the "Disney influence."

*Mice are capable of being transported for long periods of time in closed containers, such as boxes, trunks or barrels.

*The house mouse is found throughout the world from the tropics to the Arctic regions.

*There are believed to be about 300 separate varieties of house mice in the United States.

*The house mouse has a protective mechanism that responds to environmental stress-excessive heat for example-by inducing a torpor or dormancy that conserves its physiological reserves.

*Mice chewing through electrical wires may have caused many fires of "unknown cause".

*In six months, one pair of mice can eat about four pounds of food and produce some 18,000 fecal droppings.

*Mice feeding on colored crayons will produce droppings based on the color of the crayon they were feeding on.

*Mice are not blind but have a bad vision and cannot see beyond about six inches, but can detect movement quite well.

Rat and Mice Biology

House Mouse

Mus Musculus

Appearance:

Small and slender, three to four inches long, with large ears, small eyes and pointed nose; light brown or light gray; droppings are rod-shaped.

Habits:

Nest within structures and burrow; establish a "territory" near food sources, generally 10-30 feet from nest; inquisitive, but very wary; excellent climbers.

Diet:

Omnivorous, prefer cereal grains.

Reproduction:

Prolific breeders at two months; can have litters as often as every 40-50 days, with four to seven young per litter; live up to one year.

Other Information:

Feed 15 to 20 times per day; can squeeze through a hole one-fourth inch wide; carry many serious diseases.

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Norway Rat

Rattus Norvegicus

Appearance:

Brown, heavy-bodied, six to eight inches long; small eyes and ears blunt nose; tail is shorter than head and body; fur is shaggy; droppings are capsule-shaped.

Habits:

Nest in underground burrows, from which they enter buildings in search of food; tend to remain in hiding during the day.

Diet:

Omnivorous, but prefer meats; cannot survive long without water.

Reproduction:

Reaches sexual maturity in two months; can breed any month of the year; litter may number from eight to twelve; females can have four to seven litters per year; adults live as long as one year.

Other Information:

Most common rat in U.S.; limited agility, but excellent swimmer; carrier of many serious diseases.

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Roof Rat

Rattus Rattus

Appearance:

Black or brown, seven to ten inches long, with a long tail and large ears and eyes, with a pointed nose; body is smaller and sleeker than Norway rat; fur is smooth.

Habits:

Nests inside and under buildings, or in piles of rubbish or wood; excellent climber; can often be found in the upper parts of structures.

Diet:

Omnivorous, but show a preference for grain, fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Reproduction:

Becomes sexually mature at four months; four to six litters per year; four to eight young per litter; live up to one year.

Other Information:

Very agile; can squeeze through openings only 1/2 inch wide; carry many serious diseases.